The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/666058
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan football's success stories have come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life — from can't-miss five-star prospects with Greek god physiques to undersized, limited athletes whose motors more than made up for their shortcomings. Brighton, Mich., native David Pearson was more the latter than the former when he arrived at the Michigan football camp in 1998. He was a good athlete, not great — a kid with mid-level offers and dreams of something bigger. But former head coach Lloyd Carr had a way of identifying traits in players that helped developed champions. In Pearson it was unbelievable heart and ridiculous smarts, both on display when Carr called Pearson to his office on the last day of a summer camp. "I wasn't very highly touted coming out of high school," Pearson admitted. "A lot of MAC schools were recruiting me; I was lightly recruited by a few Big Ten schools. I had gone to the Michigan camp a couple of years, but the summer after my junior year [former offensive coordinator] Terry Malone asked me to try out defensive end a couple days. I guess I did pretty well." Well enough that Carr brought Pearson into his office and, after some conversation, offered him "on the spot." "And I accepted on the spot. I WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Center David Pearson Upheld Michigan's Tradition In More Ways Than One Pearson started every game at center in the 2002 and 2003 seasons, a pair of cam- paigns that ended with Michigan ranked in the top 10 nationally. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN